Gabourey Sidibe Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 4 in |
Weight | 96 kg |
Date of Birth | May 6, 1983 |
Zodiac Sign | Taurus |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Gabourey Sidibe is an American actress who is best known for portraying the award-winning titular character Claireece “Precious” Jones in Precious (2009). She is also noted for her appearances in Empire, American Horror Story, and The Big C (2010-2013). Gabourey has amassed a huge fan base with more than 2 million followers on Instagram and more than 600k followers on Twitter.
Born Name
Gabourey MaLingair Sidibe
Nick Name
Gabby, Queen
Sun Sign
Taurus
Born Place
Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Residence
Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality
Education
Gabourey graduated from the Borough of Manhattan Community College with an associates degree. She also attended The City College of New York.
Later, she started pursuing a degree in psychology from Mercy College, but in 2009, she quit after getting a phone call from her friend to audition for a role in Precious.
Occupation
Actress
Family
- Father – Ibnou Sidibe (Cab Driver)
- Mother – Alice Tan Ridley (Former School Teacher, Singer)
- Siblings – Ahmed Sidibe (Older Brother)
- Others – Dorothy Pitman Hughes (Aunt) (Feminist activist), Ray Ridley (Maternal Grandfather), and Lessie (Maternal Grandmother)
Manager
Gabourey is represented by –
- Jill Kaplan of Principal Entertainment
- United Talent Agency
Build
Large
Height
5 ft 4 in or 162.5 cm
Weight
96 kg or 211.5 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Gabourey Sidibe has dated –
- She was previously dating a man whom she referred to as her “Tom Cruise“. The couple had been spotted together by paparazzi on more than one occasion.
- Brandon Frankel (2019-Present) – On December 31, 2019, Gabourey confirmed her relationship with Brandon through an Instagram post. The couple later got engaged in November 2020. In December 2022, during an appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan, Gabourey confirmed that the couple had been married for over a year.
Race / Ethnicity
Black
She has Senegalese ancestry on her father’s side and African-American ancestry on her mother’s side.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Cleft chin
- Afro-hairstyle
Brand Endorsements
Gabourey has appeared in the advertisements for many brands like –
- Lane Bryant
- CoverGirl
- Got Your 6 (2014)
Religion
Non-religious
Gabourey was born into a Muslim family. By the age of 19, she was a devoted follower of Christianity. But, later on, she stopped following any religion.
Best Known For
- Being cast in Precious (2009), Tower Heist (2011), and Seven Psychopaths (2012)
- Starring in several TV shows such as Empire, American Horror Story, and The Big C (2010-2013)
First Film
Gabourey made her theatrical film debut as Claireece “Precious” Jones in the drama based movie Precious in 2009.
First TV Show
She made her first TV show appearance on the news, talk-show Entertainment Tonight in 2008.
As a voice actress, she made her TV show debut as Keisha in Glenn Martin, DDS in 2011.
Personal Trainer
After undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery in May 2016, Gabourey’s workout regime and diet consisted of a liquid diet for the initial 17 days. After successfully completing the prescribed number of days, she began sticking to a daily 5 meal plan, however, they are smaller meals.
She also prefers to cook her food and make sure to keep track of what she is eating and consults a nutritionist on a regular basis.
Gabourey has a personal trainer whom she trains with 3 to 4 times per week. On the days she’s not training, she does 20 laps of swimming before having the first meal of the day. She also prefers to ride her tricycle when she’s at home or on set which is an excellent way to have fun as well as burn calories.
Gabourey Sidibe Favorite Things
- Cap – Yankees baseball
- Chain Store – Torrid
- All-Time Favorite Decoration – Her David Meister dress that she had worn to the premiere of Precious (2009)
- Actress – Viola Davis
- Spots In Chicago – Cindy’s Rooftop, Miss Ricky’s in the Virgin Hotel, Zed451
Source – NYLON, Harper’s Bazaar, Chicago Tribune
Gabourey Sidibe Facts
- She was born in Brooklyn but brought up in Harlem by her mother.
- Her name is pronounced as “GAB-or-ay SIH-dih-bay”.
- Gabourey was 12 years old when her mother and father parted ways. She spent most of her time growing up with her aunt Dorothy Pitman Hughes.
- As a child, she went through a tough time as she was bullied at home and even at school.
- Her mother Alice Tan Ridley is an American R&B and gospel singer who competed in America’s Got Talent in 2010. In the past, she used to perform on the streets and subways to collect enough money to feed her daughter and herself.
- During recess, Gabourey often used to sing for a penny or two.
- Growing up, her father who was a cab driver would often body shame her with words like “fatso” and beat her.
- She was 6 years old when she went on her first diet.
- During her teenage years, she obtained her inspiration from a picture that had her aunt Dorothy Pitman-Hughes and journalist Gloria Steinem standing strong together.
- In order to pursue her degree in phycology at Mercy College, she worked part-time as a receptionist.
- Gabourey started to pursue her passion in psychology at the age of 10 by reading books and learning therapy techniques.
- In 2017, Gabourey told the public that she was diagnosed with a symptom known as Type 2 diabetes and that she underwent laparoscopic bariatric surgery to help reduce her weight.
- On May 1, 2017, she released her book titled This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare.
- During her schooling days, she took part in several plays but did not seem to like acting.
- Ever since her teenage years, Gabourey has been a big fan of the boy band *NSYNC and has been to more than a dozen concerts.
- She is one of 10 African-American women to be nominated for an Oscar award in the “Best Actress” category.
- Gabourey votes in favor of the Democratic-Republican Party.
- Her obsession with being overweight was affecting her lifestyle and the way she started to feel about herself.
- At the age of 21, she started working as a phone s*x telecaller. She worked there for 3 consecutive years.
- In the past, RJ Howard Stern insulted her by saying, “There’s the most enormous, fat black chick I’ve ever seen. She is enormous. Everyone’s pretending she’s a part of show business and she’s never going to be in another movie”.
- Her first name “Gabourey” in Senegalese means beautiful cheeks.
- She can roll her tongue and flip it upside down.
- As a child, she spoke Wolof and French.
- Until she was 13, she did not like the name Gabby.
- Gabourey feel’s enlightened when she curses.
- At the age of 16, she found it difficult to fall asleep without listening to the *NSYNC’s Sailing.
- She once paid $30 for a frame that had Dan Castellaneta and Homer Simpson’s signature on it.
- Gabourey believes that she is psychic. However, her friends believe that she’s a psycho.
- Her middle name MaLingair translates to Queen in one of Senegal’s native languages, Wolof.
- She has an adopted cat named Aaron.
- In December 2020, rapper Twista bullied Gabourey on his Instagram (for which he later apologized after deleting the post) when he posted a comparison picture of Gabourey with model Bernice Burgos asking his fans which option they would choose. He kept Bernice on option B as a couch surfer with no car, 3 kids, and 12K Instagram followers while Gabourey was at option A being super successful.
- In January 2021, during an episode of Peace of Mind with Taraji, she revealed that she had suffered from an eating disorder and depression in the past.
Featured Image by Greg Hernandez / Flickr / CC BY-2.0
She has to be at least 230-250 pounds. I am 5’4” and I weigh 172 pounds and I look much much thinner than she does.
I was thinking 210ish. Beats the unhealthy 350+ she was. Beautiful spirit no matter the size.